veastley

Canon image-stabilized binoculars will show you an incredible array of deep-sky wonders. I picked up a used 10x30 set on eBay many years ago and have used them for hundreds of nights of observing. I also have owned and loved a 4" TeleVue refractor for over two decades, but the Canons get used more often. You need to spend $2-3k+ to get a telescope that can beat even the smallest image-stabilized binocs. They are the perfect way to start.

"Boring" has become almost a requirement as I evaluate new software business ideas. The opposite of boring is often flash-in-the-pan fad ideas, and I run screaming from those. I want to build real products people use, not trendy solutions in search of problems.

I was sitting right in front of Anne at the conference, so I didn't see her throw the hot sauce, but I did see the bottle explode all over the stage and the people in front of me. My first response was to shut my MacBook Air. ;-)

An awkward tension hung in the air like a big stink bomb once everyone realized what had just happened. Noah managed to brush off the incident and continue his talk as if nothing happened. I'm sure I couldn't have continued so coolly if I were in his place.

I doubt any of us at the conference understand what was going through Anne's head at the time. I was confused by the whole incident, and figured she didn't want the hot sauce and was trying to playfully toss it back.

As for Noah's presentation, I thought parts of it were very low-class and out of place. My opinion of him as a person was lower at the end of his talk. That said, I did gain some valuable insights that have helped me focus better and improve my business.

A friend of mine at Novell in the late 90's once heard Schmidt say, "Novell is a fish. Microsoft is the ocean." How times have changed since then!